What is safeguarding?

Safeguarding is the action that is taken to promote the welfare of children and protect them from harm.
Safeguarding means:
  • protecting children from abuse and maltreatment
  • preventing harm to children’s health or development
  • ensuring children grow up with the provision of safe and effective care
  • taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcomes.
Child protection is part of the safeguarding process. It focuses on protecting individual children identified as suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. This includes child protection procedures which detail how to respond to concerns about a child.      (NSPCC)
 
St Kenelm’s CE Primary School is committed to all aspects of safeguarding.  We believe that all children have the right to be protected from abuse and harm.  The Governing Body takes seriously its responsibility under section 11 of the Children Act and duties under 'working together' to safeguard and promote the welfare of children; to work together with other agencies to ensure adequate arrangements exist within our setting to identify, and support those children who are suffering harm or are likely to suffer harm.
We recognise that all staff and governors have a full and active part to play in protecting our pupils from harm, and that the child’s welfare is our paramount concern.  We ensure that anyone, paid or voluntary, who seeks to work in our school is safe to do so. 
Our school provides a safe, caring, positive and stimulating environment that promotes the social, physical and moral development of the individual child free from discrimination or bullying where children can learn and develop happily.
 
What should I do if I have a safeguarding concern?
We ask all parents to help with safeguarding. If you have a concern, then please inform us immediately.

The Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) will remain the front door to Children’s Social Care for all child protection and immediate safeguarding concerns. If there is an immediate safeguarding concern Tel: 0345 050 7666. (This number will take you through to Customer Services who will ask a series of questions and triage into MASH where safeguarding concerns are raised):​
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  • Office hours (8.30am – 5pm, Monday to Thursday, 8.30am – 4pm, Friday): Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub
  • Outside office hours: Emergency Duty Team: 0800 833 408
 
If you have a safeguarding concern about a member of staff, you should contact,  Jo Lloyd (Local Authority Designated Officer), on 01865 810603 or [email protected].  If it is out of hours, and you believe a child is in immediate danger, you should contact the police. 
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Cause for concern
Our first priority is of course your child’s welfare and we are required to take any reasonable action to ensure the safety of our pupils. However, there may be occasions when we have reason to be concerned that a child may be subject to ill-treatment, neglect or other forms of abuse. We will ensure that our concerns about a child are discussed with his/her parents first, unless we have reason to believe that such a move would be contrary to the child’s welfare.  In this case, we are obliged to follow our Safeguarding and Child Protection procedures established by the Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board and inform Social Care of the concern.
We work extremely closely with the Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board to access training and support.

 
The Safeguarding Team
Catherine Souch (Headteacher): Designated Safeguarding Lead
Claire McConville (Assistant Headteacher) Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead 
Hannah Staniford (SENDCO) Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead ​
Kelly Way (Safeguarding Governor)
Daniel Pullin (Chair of Governors)
In our school, everyone has a responsibility to safeguard children.

If you have any safeguarding concerns, please email: [email protected]
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TO VIEW THE SAFEGUARDING POLICY, PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW: